


Building Blocks

by DeeNomilk



Series: Tashok the Dragonborn [15]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: bonding through home building, this one is kinda boring sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 03:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19782184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeNomilk/pseuds/DeeNomilk
Summary: What's with that necromancer near your new house, anyways?





	Building Blocks

**Author's Note:**

> I uh... I'm sorry? I'm a student and student life is 'no free-time' life (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Tashok feels someone shaking her shoulder through her bedroll’s thick material. She opens her eye to see Teldryn leaning towards her and shoots him a questioning glance.

“Trouble.” he tells her barely above a whisper.

Tashok’s sleepiness immediately leaves her as her stomach drops into a pool of cold dread. She notices Teldryn’s sword is already pulled out and ready for a fight. She thanks herself for having the foresight to having her and her companions rotate their watch over the night.

“Where?” she glances about.

Everyone else is still sound asleep within their bedrolls, all under the makeshift tent they set up. Including Sofie.

“Towards the shore.” Teldryn tells her. “Looks like a necromancer.”

She slides out of her bedroll silently and slinks towards her companions, waking them up gently. By now, she’s figured out the best way to approach her sleeping friends for each of them.

Inigo’s previous struggles have made him skittish, and so she takes his hand and squeezes it while swaying it slowly — no person attacking him would ever do this. It does the trick quite nicely.

Then she brushes against J’Zargo’s whiskers, eliciting nothing more than a low purr as he lifts his head up.

Then Brelyna and Onmund response similarly to her — a simple shoulder shake does the job.

“We’ve got a necromancer nearby.” Teldryn says. “They’ve already taken down an unfortunate passerby.”

“What do we do?” Inigo asks.

“Inigo and Onmund, you stay here with Sofie. Make sure she’s safe.” Tashok tells them. “Teldryn, Brelyna and J’Zargo, you follow me. I’ll try and get them with my bow from a distance, but as soon as they clue in on our presence, I want you to attack.”

As if to give emphasis to her words, Tashok silently summons her Bound Bow, then dips the arrows into one of her poison bottles.

The four of them sneak towards the edge of the property, where Tashok notes that the previously empty ritual stones were now occupied by a mage with their back turned to her. She pulls the string back and aims, taking in a breath and steadying her hand, before letting it loose.

The unsuspecting necromancer was clearly taken by surprise as the arrow pieced their upper shoulder blade, lodged deep behind their clavicle. They drop to their knees and clutch at the wound.

Hurt, but alive.

Before Tashok can tell her companions to attack and finish the enemy off, Teldryn springs up.

“I've got this!” he leaps towards the necromancer and brings his sword down across their neck.

They drop down for good, unmoving and bleeding.

“Good job.” Tashok slides hops down to him. “I’m going to have a talk with the Jarl about the property…”

“Get him to give you part of your gold back.” J’Zargo suggests.

“Mh, yeah…” Tashok climbs back towards their camp.

“You could also put a warning for any future necromancers!” Brelyna chimes in.

“You mean like… « Beware necromancers, this is private property, please take your necromancing elsewhere »?” Tashok asks, smirking a bit.

“Oh please…” Teldryn rolls his eyes.

“That’s what I had in mind.” Brelyna says.

“J’Zargo suggests a stronger message.” J’Zargo adds. “Perhaps… « Necromancers will be killed on sight ».”

“That’s much too violent!” Tashok gasps. “Maybe… Maybe they’ll see my house once we’re done constructing it, and decide to go elsewhere.”

“You honestly think they will be respectful of your wishes?” Inigo quirks an eyebrow.

“Well, no… But it’s worth a try…?”

Onmund chuckles as he tucks Sofie back into her bedroll.

“We should get back to sleep…” Tashok sighs. “Who’s turn is it on watch now?”

* * *

The morning and the better part of the afternoon go quite smoothly for the group, despite a chaotic start.

The plans may be written down, but the group wasn’t sure where to start, until Onmund piped up and took on the role of supervising and directing the operation and suggests clearing all the snow from the site. He occasionally assists Teldryn and Tashok with most of the heavy-lifting while J’Zargo, Inigo and Brelyna work to support the building. Pearl has taken to either watching the group work, sleeping, or running between their legs and almost causing a disaster. By dusk the small house's foundation is set. By the second day the structure and walls are mostly done and they all pray it doesn't rain or snow anytime soon. Three days later the small house is finished, though empty inside.

“Well, we can set out bedrolls down here…” Tashok unrolls hers in the corner close to the door. “Get furnishings done and built tomorrow… maybe expand a bit.”

“You do have plenty of room left on the property.” Brelyna points out. “Wasn’t there some plans about add-ons in that book they gave you?”

“Yes, actually…”

Tashok digs in her bag and pulls out the guide.

“It shows here that we could make it into a two-story home… That’d be a good, idea, no?”

“Certainly gives you more space to work with…” Teldryn shrugs before taking a sip of ale. "It'll take longer to make, obviously. But hey, your house."

“Can I help plan?” Sofie sits next to Tashok and leans on her side.

“Of course! Did you have any ideas?” Tashok wraps her hand around Sofie and brings her closer.

“Not yet. I need to read the book first!”

Sofie wiggles herself almost completely between Tashok and the book.

“While the two of you look over that, the rest of us should make supper.” Onmund says. “We’ve got some decent ingredients to work with.”

“Sounds fine by me!” Brelyna stands with her friend, ready to gather the needed ingredients.

“J’Zargo supposes he can assist as well…” J’Zargo sighs and follows them out.

This leaves only Inigo, Teldryn, Tashok and Sofie within the small empty house.

“When is Lucien coming back?” Sofie pipes up.

The question takes Tashok by surprise. She hadn’t considered that Sofie, having known Lucien almost as long as herself, would miss the friendly scholar.

“I don’t know…” Tashok says. “He’s getting set up in Solstheim, kind of like we are here.”

“Is he getting help?”

“I think so…”

Sofie nods to herself, seemingly satisfied.

“Good. It’ll go fast for both of us then.” she says.

“I would reckon, we have the best helper on our side.” Inigo winks at Sofie, making her giggle.

As if to protest this, Pearl perks up and lets out a loud meow as he jumps onto Sofie’s lap.

“Pearl’s our moral support.” Tashok rubs his ear.

This prompts him to flip on his back and present his belly.

“Ah! I’m not falling for that one mister…!” Tashok chuckles and continues to pet his head.

“Falling for what?” Teldryn asks.

“His trap.” she shrugs, smirking. “… Watch.”

She then lowers her hand slowly, first scratching Pearl’s neck, then his chest. As soon as she reaches part of his belly, he clamps his paws down on her arm and begins to claws and bite playfully.

“An ambush!” Inigo laughs.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” Teldryn looks at the cat’s claws digging into his patron’s forearm.

“A little.” Tashok admits. “I usually wear gloves for this, it’s not his fault.”

Sofie giggles and joins in on playing with Pearl while Tashok looks on with a warm smile.

“Aren’t children wonderful?” Inigo takes his place next to Tashok.

“Yeah… There’s a little girl in Whiterun I’d like to go see.”

“Is that so?”

“Ask her if she wants to stay here with me… Better than sleeping on a bench in Whiterun I’d hope.”

Inigo chuckles.

“Any more wayward children you’d like to go find across the land?” he quips.

“Well…” Tashok glances at her friend. “There is a little Khajiit girl I met…”

“Truly? What is her name?”

“Ma'isha… I already told Sofie about both of them. She says she’d love to have sisters.”

“I’m glad. Adoption is a valid way to begin a family.”

Teldryn glances at them from the corner of the house.

“And what of our arrangement?” Teldryn inquires. “I’ll stay around as long as you pay me but I’d rather be doing something interesting…”

“Well I’m not planning on fully stopping the whole freelancer thing I’ve got going on, it pays pretty well… I just…” Tashok pauses, glancing at Sofie and Pearl. “Want to spend time with them too.”

“If you need me to kill more necromancers for you, just say the word.” Teldryn goes to take a swig of ale and say something else, but is cut short when Brelyna opens the door and peeks her head in.

“Food’s ready…” she says.

“Oh good…” Teldryn is the first to stand up. "Waiting was starting to get weary…”

* * *

Within a few days, the additions to the home begin to make it look like a genuine homestead, unlike the sad cluster of wood and stone it had been. J'Zargo also has a stroke of either madness or genius and decides to use fire magic to thaw the soil in order to dig for a basement. 

"That's so great! Using magic to help construct buildings!" Onmund gaps. "Why did I never think of that!"

"It's pretty common in High Rock." Tashok explains while digging. "Alteration mages get paid quite the coin to assist construction workers."

"I love magic." Onmund grins.

The small house proves to be their respite over the many days it takes them to build the main hall. After a while Tashok notes that their supplies, as well as Falkreath's and Riverwood for that matter are running low.

“I’ll head to Whiterun to get some more supplies…” Tashok announces to everyone before dawn one morning.

“Havma goodtrip…” mumbles Brelyna as she rearranges her pillow.

J’Zargo and Teldryn don’t stir, while Inigo stands quickly.

“Should I accompany you?” he asks.

“If you want… I don’t suspect I’ll need too much help.” Tashok shrugs.

“Then have my company, if you wish.”

“Well now, you best not refuse such an offer…” Onmund smirks as he rubs his eyes. “Besides, there are bandits everywhere, you never know when you could run into trouble.”

Tashok nods and allows Inigo to pack his things briefly as she paces around the entrance nervously.

“Keep an eye on her…” Onmund tells Inigo as he passes by his bed.

“Of course, I intent on keeping my friend alive for as long as possible.” Inigo tightens the strap on his backpack.

“She can be a bit… Eager to help. She almost got herself killed helping me…”

Onmund's hand ghosts over the amulet around his neck.

“I will be the voice of reason, then.” Inigo assures the mage. “Ah, that will be interesting change…”

Onmund doesn’t seem completely relieved, but still smiles at the pair until they turn their backs to him and disappear into the morning fog.

**Author's Note:**

> This was by far the biggest hurdle to progress I've had. It's been sitting unfinished/unpolished for over a month. At least now I can move on to the rest of the story.


End file.
